A Tullamarine company has developed a machine that eliminates the risk of serious injury, including amputations, in the meat processing industry.
Scott Automation & Robotics (SAR) was a finalist in last week’s WorkSafe awards for its invention, which shuts down bandsaws – heavy-duty machines used to portion beef and lamb – within 15 milliseconds of direct contact with a machine operator.
SAR’s Andrew Moussa described the machine as “the difference between a small cut and an amputated finger”.
“It senses that skin has come into contact with the blade,” Mr Moussa said.
He said the company began developing the technology more than eight years ago and it became market-ready in January last year.
So far, more than 80 machines have been sold overseas and in Australia, including to some of the country’s largest meat processing companies: the Australian Lamb Company at Sunshine West and JBS Australia, at Brooklyn and in South Australia.
Mr Moussa said companies that had bought the machine had told him of potentially disastrous accidents that resulted in nothing more than an innocuous cut because of SAR’s BladeStop technology.
The company is one of three finalists in contention for WorkSafe’s Health and Safety Invention of the Year award.
Twenty finalists across seven categories are being recognised for contributions to workplace health and safety or for helping injured workers return to work.
Winners will be named on October 28 during Health and Safety Week.
